Against the Thunder last night there were times the Lakers looked like a team ready to defend their title and other times they looked a group of old veterans too slow and tired to keep up. So which is it? More importantly, which one will show up in the playoffs? Here's a breakdown of the good and the bad from last night.

The Lakers looked good when...

Kobe Bryant was aggressive and Pau Gasol was getting touches. It's no surprise but these two were by far the most effective and efficient Lakers. Kobe wasn't playing that game where he let's the game come to him. He was out to snap the Lakers' losing streak. He wasn't settling for jumpers he could've taken over players like Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha. Instead, he drove to the basket and took 10-12 footers or got to the rim and was fouled or got the layup. Bryant made 10-of-19 shots and converted on 9-of-10 free throws for a total of 31 points.

Pau Gasol got touches early and often in the first half. He connected on 7-of-9 shots and had 18 points at the half. He was hitting from both inside and outside and there was nothing the shorter Thunder could do about it.

They held the Thunder to jump shots. Offense proved too easy for OKC in the first half but LA responded in the third quarter. They didn't allow easy penetration from Westbrook and Kevin Durant and that made a world of difference. The Lakers will beat just about any team that relies too heavily on jumpers but it's a tougher task to come away with a win when giving up buckets around the rim.

Offensively they limited mistakes. The Lakers didn't always get off good shots but by not turning the ball over it helped prevent the Thunder from scoring in transition. LA had just one turnover through 3 quarters and took a 90-88 lead into the fourth.

The Lakers looked bad when...

They couldn't stop the Thunder from getting to the basket. Westbrook and Durant were penetrating at ease. When the Lakers did back off on Westbrook he promptly drained a couple 3-pointers. Artest didn't nearly fluster Durant the way he has in the past. Durant was able to weave his way around Artest and dropped in a handful of those quick floaters he loves so much. These easy buckets allowed the Thunder to shoot 62-percent in the first half.

The fourth quarter came around. Well, not the entire fourth but the last 11 minutes. The Lakers led 95-90 with under 11 to go and were then outscored 30-11.

LA managed to look like both the youngest and oldest team at the same time. Not only did they look old and tired but they made the type of mistakes you'd expect from an inexperienced team. That nearly turnover-free basketball came to a screeching halt as they turned it over nine times in the fourth. On 20 possessions in the fourth quarter, the Lakers got a shot off that wasn't blocked just 10 times.

The turnovers were of all kinds but it was actually a possession in which they didn't turn it over that was the most inexplicable. With one minute remaining and the Lakers trailing 110-104, Ron Artest launched up a deep 3-pointer with time left on the shot clock. His shot missed everything but Kobe Bryant was there with the rebound. Bryant grabbed the ball and ran to the 3-point line like there were 5 seconds left and hastily threw up a poor shot. Then, to make matters worse and seal the game, Bryant fouled Russell Westbrook on a 3-pointer he drained and made the subsequent free throw.

The Lakers looked tired and no one seemed more tired than Gasol. He had an uncontested dunk in the final 10 seconds for his only field goal in the fourth. In fact, he only had two other attempts. How can that happen with their second best player and biggest mismatch on the court? You can blame the play-calling for some of it but Gasol must take some blame as well. It's not like he was throwing his hands up in the air demanding for the ball. He seemed content to watch others struggle.

It's the first 5-game losing streak since pre-Pau in 2007. The Lakers are now tied with the Mavericks for second in the West but they do hold the tiebreaker. At this point, even the 3-seed is not a sure thing since the Thunder are now only a game behind. Despite the loss though, LA still holds the tiebreaker over OKC as well. The Thunder have two easy games at Sacramento and vs. the Bucks, the Mavericks play at Houston and then vs. the Hornets and the Lakers host the Spurs and finish the season at Sacramento. If the Lakers take care of business and takes these next two then the questions will subside a bit. If they don't and they fall to the third or fourth-seed, the doubters will be out in full force.